Ultrafast atomic, molecular and optical physics
- Opening for a graduate research assistant -
The interaction of light with matter has been a fundamental topic in the history of quantum theory and, as such, been investigated for more than a century. The study of the response of matter (atoms, molecules, clusters, solids) to strong electromagnetic radiation is nowadays closely related to the development of intense laser systems generating ultrashort light pulses. The strengths of these light fields exceed that of the Coulomb field within an atom or molecule while the pulse lengths have decreased to the femtosecond (10-15 s) regime and very recently even sub-femtosecond pulses of about 100 attoseconds (1 as = 10-18 s) have been generated. Frequencies of available laser systems range from the far-infrared through the optical up to the vacuum-ultraviolet and the soft x-ray regions. Applications of ultrashort intense laser pulses in basic and applied research can be found in physics, chemistry and biology. Our research interests are related to the theoretical analysis and numerical simulations of ultrafast processes in atoms and molecules interacting with intense laser pulses.
Latest news: Direction of electron's motion between the nuclei in the dissociating hydrogen molecular ion is found to follow or oppose the classical laser-electric force ... more ...
